Page 70 of From the Start
Jade, her neighbor and my real estate agent, lifts her glass in a salute. “Best show I’ve seen in ages.”
“I vote for him to change into shorts. I bet those legs are as muscular as his chest,” Chloe – one of Paisley’s good friends – says.
Jade glares at her. “You’re married to a sexy cop. You don’t get a vote.”
“There aren’t any rules about looking.”
“You don’t mind it when your husband ogles women on the beach?”
Chloe’s nose wrinkles. “I’m not ogling.”
Jade taps the corner of her mouth. “You’re literally drooling.”
“Drooling isn’t ogling.”
I return my attention to Harper. “This doesn’t appear to be a riot.”
She fists her hands on her hips. “And you have experience with riots, do you?”
Shit. I walked straight into that one. “It wasn’t my fault. I never expected Plank to fly above the crowd making siren sounds.”
“Do I want to know why Plank was free?”
“It’s tradition to steal the mascots. In fact, I distinctly remember you suggesting we steal a Smuggler’s Hideaway mascot on our first date.”
“I did no such thing. I merely assumed we’d be stealing a mascot.”
“I believe this is what your father would refer to as ‘splitting hairs’.”
Harper narrows her eyes at me. “I don’t know if you being friends with Dad is such a good thing.”
“Are you afraid I’m a bad influence on him? No need to worry. Until his arm is healed, he can’t pull any pranks anyway.”
She buries her face in her hands. “I’ve created a monster.”
“A sexy monster.” I motion to the women on the sidewalk. “I have proof.”
“I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?”
I step closer to her and pull her hands away from her face. “Are you embarrassed by how sexy I am? Should I apologize for not having a dad bod?”
“You’re not a dad, so you can’t have a dad bod.”
“Trust me.” I wink. “It’s possible.”
“I need to get back to work.”
“Hold on. I have something for you.”
“Is this some corny pick-up line?”
I chuckle. “No, but thanks for the idea.”
She groans and I release her to jog to my SUV. The women on the sidewalk clap as I pass them.
“Sorry, ladies. I’m unavailable. I only have eyes for one woman.”
“I can still look,” Chloe says.
